Suspension device.



G. S. MATTHEWS.

SUSPENSION DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 15, 1914.

1,170,084. Patented Fb. 1, 1916.

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WITNESSES: llVl/E/VTOR A TTOR/VEYJ.

G. S. MATTHEWS.

SUSPENSION DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 16. 1914.

Patented Feb. 1, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- FIG. 7.

mm/ro/e M WITNESSES:

ATTOR/VEVJ.

rrnn era GEORGE' S. MATTHEWS, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSQURI, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO AUGUSTINE DOEHLER, OFIKAN SAS CITY,'MISS'OURI.

SUSPENSION DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 18, 1914. Serial No. 812,448.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE S. MATTHEWS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Suspension Devices; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention is a suspension device for vehicles, having for its object to take up the shock or sustain jars transmitted to the body of the vehicle from the running gear thereof by supporting the body frame on resilient spherical devices, which permit of a cushion effect to the movement of the body,-in substantially every direction, as distinguished from those devices which operate only in a vertical direction.

A further purpose is to provide an attachment which may be quickly and readily applied to a vehicle of ordinary construction at a minimum of cost.

In elastic suspensions previously known to me, it has been found necessary to employ inflatable devices or means which limit the action of the device to a vertical'jmoveinent. In none of the devices with which I am familiar, are the attachments so constructed that they will permit of action in longitudinal and transverse lateral directions, as well as the vertical movement of a vehicle frame.

The invention is chararterized by the plurality of resilient substantially spherical devices, each providod with a hollow core adapted to contain air at substantially atmospheric pressure. Each spherical device is positioned between a pair of opposed concave socket members which may be readily secured on a vehicle and so mounted that not all the weight placed on one of 'said socket members, such as an upper or inner one, is

carried by the spherical device, but the lon gitudmal and lateral movements of said upper and mner sockets and their supporting members are opposed in all directions by the lower member, said lower member limiting the vertical movement of the upper member.

The attachment may be employed in connection with the inner springs of a vehicle, or the springs may be omitted, as well as the pneumatic or resilient tires from the wheels.

Several embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, altho'ughit'is to be understood that the constructions shown therein are for the purposes of'illustration only, and not as defining the limits of the invention.

In the drawings'Figure 1 is a plan view of a vehicle frame, parts being broken away. Fig. 2 is an end view of'the frame illustrating the manner of'application' of the device thereto. F i g. 3 is a side elevation of the de vice illustrated inFigs. 1 and 2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail [side elevation ofapair of socket m'embers with the resilient memher in position. Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional'view through"thedevice'of Fig. 4l,.the section being taken "on the line a'a of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a side elevation illustrating the device applied to half elliptic springs. Fig. 7 is a side elevation showing a device connected with platform springs. the sockets being connected at each end of the side springs.

F ig. 8 is a rearelevation of the device co'n- Patented Feb. 1, 1916'. Y

bcdiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5. the frame of the vehicle, such as an automobile frame or chassis, is illustrated at 1 and may be of any desired form, and may be mounted upon any preferred type of spring.

The invention preferably comprises a plurality of complemental members each shown in the'form of sockets, the inner socket member 2 being preferablv positioned on a plane slightly above that of its'complemental outer socket'member 3. The inner socket memher 2 is preferably secured to the frame 1 in any suitable manner, and in the drawings this member 2'is shown provided with parallel arms 4 which serve as means for supporting the member on the frame 1. Any suitable devices (not shown), may be employed to clamp the arms 4 to the frame memb erl.

The outer socket member 3 may .be se- 'curedto thesprings, which are indicated attially rectangular body, cut away at- 9 on c 5 in Figs. 1, 2. and 3. These outer members 3 may be provided with depending lu s 6 to serve as means to retain the member 3 in a predetermined position with relation to the socket member 2, and any suitable fastening device (not shown), maybe employed in connection with these lugs 6 to retain said member 3 in position. The member 2 is illustrated as having a substantially rectangular outer body, with a portion of its inner face concaved, the concave portion being such as to receive less than half of the spherical body adapted to fit therein, as will be understood from Figs. 1 and5. The edges of the member 2 adjacent the concaved portion, are preferably curved inwardly as at 7, along two sides thereof, but are substantially rectangular, for example, at the top and bottom in Fig. l, with curved corners along the other two sides thereof. The member 3 is formed with a concave portion 8 substantially similar to the concave portion of the member 2, to receive the spherical body, and this lower member is also provided with two sides of its substanan arcuate line at the top face thereof, similar to the cut away portion 7 of the socket member 2, as illustrated in Fig. 1. The face opposite to this-portion 9, or the bottom face thereof, is preferably extended beyond the vertical plane of the top face, as in Fig.

5, to serve as a support for the resilient member 10 to be housed between said socket members 2 and 3. The side sections 11 are preferably rectangular except for the corner 12 thereof (Fig. 2), which registers with the inwardly curved portion 7 of the upper member. The lower member-3 may be provided also with an upwardly extending angular arm 13, terminating in a housing 14 which is adapted to be positioned in alinement with an extended arm 15 of the upper socket member 2. The lower surface of this housinglal, which is on a plane with the horizontal arm 16 of the lower member, is preferably arranged at a predetermined point above the arm 15 of member 2, to permit of a limited vertical movement of member 2 with reference to member'3, or vice versa. Cushioning the action or impact of the arm 16 of housing 14 upon the arm'15, there may be provided a coil spring 17 mounted within the housing 14, and bearing at all times upon the upper surface of thearm 15..

The resilient member 10 is preferably spherical in form and provided with a hollow core 18 as illustrated in Fig. 5, it being found preferable to confine air at atmospheric pressure within said core. This spherical member is adapted to rest within the concave portions of the socket members2 and 3 to permit of rotative movement therein. The resilient spherical member 10 serves to maintain the socket members 2 and 3 apart, and the peculiar formation of the opposed edges of the socket members 2 and 3, together with the position in which these members are placed upon the frame and running gear, causes an irregular path to be formed substantially aroundthe spherical member 10, as indicated at w in the various views. This feature is obtained also by the mounting of the member 2 on the frame, out of the longitudinal plane of the member 3, and also substantially out of the vertical plane of said member, as also understood by refer ence to Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

The device may be employed between the body frame 1 and the axle 19, as shown in Fig. 9, or it may be positioned between the axle 19 and the springs, as shown in Fig.

10, or it may be applied between the frame 1 and the springs 20, as shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8.

It will be noted that the invention combers being carried by the frame of the vehicle, the other of said members being mounted slightly below the horizontal plane and substantially cut of alinement with said first named member, and a spherical resilient device housed between said concave faces to separate said socket members and permit of free rotative movement of the resilient device between said socket members.

2. In a suspension device for road vehicles, a plurality of upper and lower socket members, a substantially spherical resilient device adapted to be interposed between said socket membersto maintain said members out of ccntact with each other, and means carried by the lower member to engage the upper member to permit limited universal movement of the upper socket member with relation to the lower socket member.

3. In a device of the class described. complemental socket members each having a concave face at substantially the' side plurality of complemental socket members,

some of which are adapted to be mounted upon the running gear of the vehicle, While other srcket members are adapted to be mounted upon the vehicle frame, the frame socket members being positioned out of vertical alinement with the running gear socket members, and a substantially spherical resilient device interposed between each pair of the socket members to maintain them out of contact with each other, whereby the movement of the socket members is opposed by the resilient members in substantially all directions.

5. A suspension device comprising a plurality of complemental socket members each having a concave face and one side substantially cut away, a resilient spherical member separating the socket members, said sccket members when in operative position with relation to each other leaving an irregular space between them and completely around the spherical member.

6. A suspension device comprising a plurality of complemental socket members each having a concave face, said members being so mounted that a part of one member is out of vertical alinement witha part of its cooperating socket member, and a resilient spherical member separating the socket members, said socket members being so positicned with relation to each other as to form an arcuate space between the socket members around the spherical member to permit of movement of the opposed socket members in a plurality of directions.

7. A suspension device comprising an upper socket member having a forwardly inclined extension and a concave portion, the edges of the socket member adjacent the concave portion being curved for a portion thereof, a lower socket member having a concave portion, the edges of the socket member adjacent the concave portion being partly straight and partly curved to register with the curved portion of the upper socket member, and a spherical resilient member adapted to rest within the concave portions and between the two socket members to retain said members out of engagement, such resilient member operating to maintain an irregular space between the upper and lower socket members.

8. A suspension device comprising an upper socket member having a forwardly inclined extension and a concave portion, a lower socket member provided with a concave portion and an upwardly extended arm, a housing carried by said arm in substantially vertical alinement with a portion of said upper socket member, resilient means positioned within the housing and adapted to engage a portion of the upper socket member, and a resilient member mounted between said socket members to maintain a space between them.

9. In a suspension device for vehicles, the combination with a vehicle frame and the running gear, of a plurality of socket members carired by each side of the frame, the socket members on each side having reversely positioned concave faces, a plurality of socket members carired by the running gear and positioned on a plane below thev socket members of the frame, said running gear sockets having facing concave portions adapted to register with theoppositely positioned concave portions of the running gear socket members, and a spherical resilient member adapted to be positioned for rotatable movement between each pair of said frame socket members and running gear socket members to leave a space between them.

10. In a suspension device for road vehicles, a plurality of complemental socket members each having a concave face, and with irregular edges, one edge of the member forming a substantially ogee curve, and a spherical member interposed between said socket members to be housed by the concave faces, said members being so mounted on a vehicle as to leave an irregular space between them substantially all around the socket member, said space being diagonal to the horizontal and vertical planes of the vehicle frame.

11. A suspension device comprising an upper socket member having a concave face angularly positioned with relation to the member, a lower socket member having an upwardly directed concave portion, a spherical hollow resilient element adapted to be housed between said upper and lower socket members to maintain said members out of contact to permit rotative movement of the resilient element between the socket members.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE S. MATTHEWS.

Witnesses:

AUGUSTINE DOEHLER, XAVER MUCI-ILEBACH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

